Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Standard Zoom lens with Optical Image stabilization and APS-C / DX max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
EF-S Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
Reasons to Buy Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
Optical Image Stabilization |
Autofocus |
Distance Scale |
Full-time Manual Focusing |
Fast Aperture at Wide end |
Fast Aperture at Tele end |
Constant f2.8 aperture throughout the range |
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No Weather Sealing |
Hood is not supplied |
Lens Extends while zooming |
Lens Mount
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM is compatible with cameras that have a Canon EF-S lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF-S lenses are Canon T8i, Canon 90D and Canon SL3.
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Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM has a maximum diameter of 84mm and total length of 111mm when not extended. It weighs 645g / 22.8 oz.
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM has a filter thread of 77mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM:
Focal Range
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM has a focal range of 17-55mm and 3.2X zoom ratio which has a 35mm equivalent focal range of 27.2-88mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
Optical Image Stabilization
The Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM features an optical image stabilization system which helps to reduce the blur that occurs due to shaking during hand-held shooting.
Zoom Method
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM features Rotary (extending) zoom method where the length of the lens changes as you zoom in or out. This makes it possible to design the lens with a smaller minimum length ( generally when it is zoomed out) compared to internal zoom lenses. The disadvantages of this design are being harder to seal against dust and moisture, weight balance shifting while zooming and zoom creep in certain lenses.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.17x and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.35m. 0.17x means that the max magnification ratio is very low and not suitable even for modest close-up shots.
Below are the 3 Standard Zoom type Canon1 mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:
Aperture
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM is a fixed aperture lens with a constant max aperture of f2.8 from 17mm all the way to the 55mm .
Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
17mm
|
F2.8 |
F22 |
55mm
|
F2.8 |
F22 |
Optical Formula
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM's optical formula consists of 19 elements in 12 groups . Special elements used in this design is Super Spectra coatings.
Lens Hood
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM doesn't come with a lens hood. You have to order the hood separately and the model number of the hood is EW-83J.
Body Colour
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM is available in Black color.
Popular Comparisons of Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens
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